Gia - session 84 - Another turn on the hotwalker

I took Gia with me on Tuesday when I went to ride Butch.  She loaded in even less time that morning, and traveled fairly well.  She was a little spooky and looky when I walked her from the trailer to the hotwalker, but less so than the first time.  She very quietly walked on the hotwalker while I rode Butch.  She was slightly less looky as I walked her back to the trailer, and got back on the trailer fairly quickly.  It's a long drive (1 1/2 hours one way), and she traveled well on the way home until about 30 minutes out when I started to feel the trailer sway a little.  She was either pawing, or more likely, piaffeing, out of impatience.  There wasn't much that could be done while driving on the highway, but once we got into town and had to stop at lights, each time she pawed, I would let the truck go forward about a foot and then slam on the brakes.  It's not as bad as it probably sounds, but it does give the trailer a little jolt which knocks Gia a little off balance and stops the pawing.  Each time she tried again, I would jolt the trailer again.  By the time we got home, she had greatly reduced how much she was pawing.  This is not something I would do if there was another horse in the trailer, simply because I wouldn't want to punish the other horse and possibly create some trailering anxiety for that horse.  Once we were home, she impatiently started pawing to get off the trailer.  I did not unload her until she was standing quietly.  Pawing never gets a horse anything positive with me.  When I did go to unload her, she kept trying to push against the butt bar to get herself off quicker.  Again, I didn't unload her until she had stopped pushing and relaxed.  It was only for a few seconds, but that counts!  She did get off in a huff, but she will learn patience eventually ☺.  It's a long ride, back and forth, for a young horse, but other than that, it's not too stressful for her, and it's a good way to get her used to what to expect when she starts competing.  Those outings will be much longer and more stressful!

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